Which term describes a discussion-based session where team members discuss their roles and what they would do in response to a given scenario?

• A. Incident Response Manager
• B. Forensic Analyst
• C. Walkthrough
• D. Tabletop Exercise

Answer: (D)

Tabletop exercises are used to practice incident response in a discussion-focused setting. In this type of session, a hypothetical incident is presented and team members talk through their roles, what actions they would take, and how they would communicate and escalate as the scenario unfolds. The emphasis is on decision-making, coordination, and understanding responsibilities without performing live operations, which helps surface gaps in the plan and clarify who does what during an actual incident.

The other options are more about roles or different formats. An incident response manager is a job title, not a type of exercise. A forensic analyst is also a role, focusing on evidence collection and analysis rather than guiding a collaborative discussion about response actions. A walkthrough is typically a guided review of procedures or systems and may involve demonstrating steps, but it doesn’t inherently center on a scenario-based, team-wide discussion of roles and responses the way a tabletop exercise does.